- Sandline International
Sandline International was a
private military company based inLondon , established in the early 1990s. It was involved in conflicts inPapua New Guinea in 1997 (having a contract with the government under the then Prime MinisterJulius Chan ) causing theSandline affair , in 1998 inSierra Leone (having a contract with illegally ousted President Kabbah) and inLiberia in 2003 (in a rebel attempt to evict the then-president Charles Taylor near the end of the civil war). He had been contacted byRakesh Saxena , an Indian financier hoping that a new government would grant him diamond and mineral concessions. Sandline ceased all operations on 16 April 2004. On the company's website, a reason for closure is given:Sandline was managed by former
British Army Lt ColTim Spicer . Sandline billed itself as a "Private Military Company" (PMC) and offered military training, "operational support" (equipment and arms procurement and limited direct military activity), intelligence gathering, and public relations services to governments and corporations. While the mass media often referred to Sandline as amercenary company, the company's founders disputed that characterization. It has been rumored that some, if not most of Sandline's personnel, are now part ofAegis Defence Services company.Tim Spicer recounted his experiences with Sandline in the book "An Unorthodox Soldier".Further reading
* [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400097819] Licensed to Kill, Hired Guns in the War on Terror by Robert Young Pelton (Crown, Sept 1, 2006)
*Tim Spicer, "An Unorthodox Soldier", Mainstream Pub Co Ltd, 2000, ISBN 1-84018-349-7
*P. W. Singer, "Corporate Warriors, The Rise of the Privatized Military Industry", Cornell University Press, 2003, ISBN 0-8014-8915-6
*Michael Bilton "The Private War of Tumbledown Tim", London Sunday Times Magazine special investgiation and cover story, 2nd July, 2000.ee also
*
Aegis Defence Services
*Executive Outcomes
*Simon Mann External links
* [http://www.sandline.com Sandline International]
* cite news | title= Spicer calls Sierra Leone affair 'ethical' | date=5 November 2005 | publisher=BBC News | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/special_report/1998/05/98/arms_to_africa_row/207586.stm
* cite news | title= Mercenaries in Africa's conflicts | date=15 March 2004 | publisher=BBC News | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3501632.stm
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